Selfish
by yumi-maki
Summary: A Sand Sibs fic. Set before Gaara becomes Kazekage. Little brothers can be real pests. Temari is reminded of this one early morning when Kankurou asks her for a favour. Ch. 8 Little known fact, Kankurou is the most sensitive of the three.
1. Selfish

**Selfish**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto. If I did, the Sand Sibs would be in Konoha ALL THE TIME.**

Temari yawned as she made her way downstairs. It was early morning and she was still half asleep when she entered the little kitchen of the house that she shared with her brothers.

Her eyes were immediately drawn to the prone figure in the middle of the kitchen. Kankurou's head was on the kitchen counter and he was still dressed in his usual puppeteer garb, face paint intact, hood covering his face. He must have returned from his mission early that morning. There was a bowl of dry cereal in front of him.

Temari closed one eye and squinted at her brother in the dim early morning light. She opened it again, rolling her eyes as she approached him.

"Kankurou! Kankurou, get up! This is no place to take a nap," she said, shaking him roughly to rouse him.

A gloved hand snaked up and pulled his hood down so that his face was visible. He opened his eyes slowly and peered up at his sister, "Temari," he started, his voice low and gravelly from sleep, "there's no milk."

Temari cocked an eyebrow at his strange greeting, "Okaaaay. And…"

"I can't eat my cereal without milk," he responded, rising slowly and turning to face her, his eyes still somewhat glazed over.

"Okay. So go get some milk. The store's right down the street." Temari said, her voice matter-of-fact.

"Temari, come on. Can't you get it for me? I'm so tired – I can't make it to the store," Kankurou pleaded, the hint of a whine coming in from time to time.

Temari studied him for a few minutes before turning around and heading toward the fridge, "No."

"What?! Why not?" his voice was incredulous – how could she turn him down in his time of need?

She shrugged as she opened the door of the refrigerator, "I don't feel like it. I'm tired too, you know, Kankurou."

Kankurou stared at her in disbelief for a few minutes before scoffing and resting his head back on the counter top, grumbling, "Some sister you are. I can't believe you're being so selfish…."

Temari had been quite intent on ignoring him – until she heard that word. 'S_elfish_'. She turned back to her brother, her eyes narrowing into a glare, voice coming out like a hiss, "What did you say?"

Kankurou froze – _'Crap! Not that voice.'_ That voice promised him pain, pain…and more pain. He shrugged and tried to brush it off, "I forgot."

Temari's frown had become a scowl, "You're lying."

The Kankurou mound chose not to respond. Temari stood in front of the open fridge, glaring daggers at him. If she just kept it up long enough, eventually he'd have to do something. After a few seconds however, she shook her head, _'Forget it. I don't feel like getting into something with Kankurou so early in the morning anyway.'_

So she stopped glaring, turned back to the fridge and started making her breakfast. But that word kept following her – as she made her breakfast, ate it, took a shower and got dressed. 'Selfish, selfish, selfish…'

It was driving her crazy. She didn't even know why she was letting it bother her. She _knew_ she wasn't selfish. She practically did everything for Kankurou and what did he do for her? Nothing! _He_ was selfish. And yet she still couldn't shake off the guilty feeling that was growing within her.

The whole thing was putting her in a really bad mood and she scowled as she entered the kitchen and saw that Kankurou was still there, fast asleep, his head on the counter top just like before. She noted also that the bowl full of cereal was still in front of him.

She sighed – was he really planning to eat that after it had been left out in the open like that? She moved to go and cover it and then stopped when she realized what she was doing. She scoffed, 'Let him eat it! I hope it makes him sick.' She nodded decisively, pleased until another thought hit her – if he got sick, who would have to take care of him?

'_And he calls me selfish,'_ she thought as she picked up the bowl of cereal and threw it in the garbage. "Stupid little brother," she said as she passed him, nudging him slightly to make up for the fact that he couldn't hear what she said…but not enough to wake him, of course.

An hour later when Kankurou finally awoke, he opened his eyes to see a carton of milk in front of him as well as a bowl of cereal, covered now with a plastic cover. On the carton of milk, there was a note that read, "Don't you ever call me selfish again, idiot." 

**A/N: Reviews make the world go round. BTW, this is set before Gaara becomes Kazekage.**


	2. Brats

**Part 2**

Setting: this is an immediate continuation of the previous scene.

I felt kind of bad about leaving Gaara out.

Kankurou had just finished pouring the milk into his bowl when he heard footsteps on the stairs. Shortly afterward, Gaara entered the kitchen clad in a pair of loose fitting black pants and a red shirt.

"Morning," Kankurou said as he took in his brother's appearance. It occurred to him that anyone ignorant of Gaara's condition would think that he had just woken up. Of course Kankurou knew that this wasn't the case. To tell the truth, Kankurou had always wondered what exactly Gaara did while he and Temari were sleeping.

Before the Chuunin exams, Gaara usually spent the night out of the house but ever since his battle with Naruto Uzumaki, he had been trying to actually get to know his siblings and as a result, he began spending a lot more time at home with them.

Gaara turned his distant gaze on his brother before nodding in acknowledgement. Then he went to the refrigerator and opened it. Kankurou watched as Gaara stood there for several seconds just staring inside at the contents. Eventually Gaara, frowning, closed the fridge and moved on to the cupboards. He began opening cupboards, staring into each one for a little while before closing it and moving on.

By the third cupboard, Kankurou became bored and turned back to his cereal, intending to eat it before it got soggy. He grabbed a spoon and dipped it eagerly into the bowl. The spoon was halfway to his mouth when he noticed a movement out of the corner of his eye.

Gaara sat down sideways on the chair next to Kankurou's and faced his brother. Kankurou froze, the spoon still halfway to his mouth. He glanced at Gaara who was just sitting there, watching him coolly. Kankurou, unable to even fathom reading his brother, just sighed and put the spoon back in the bowl before turning to him.

"Do you want something, Gaara?"

"Cereal."

"Okaaaay. Well there's a box on top of the fridge."

Gaara shook his head, "It's not there."

Kankurou frowned, _'When I poured this bowl, there was still some left. Where could the rest have gone?'_ To Gaara, he said, "And you didn't see any anywhere else?"

Gaara thought for a second before saying, "In the garbage."

Kankurou frowned, "Well, just eat something else then." He couldn't see how this was his problem.

Gaara blinked once...twice…three times before answering. "But I want cereal," he responded, looking pointedly from Kankurou to the bowl of cereal and back. Kankurou considered Gaara for a few seconds, the latter staring back – obviously he didn't plan on going anywhere anytime soon.

Kankurou shook his head,_ 'Man, this is why I can't stand brats – they always get their way!' _However despite his grumbles, he was inwardly pleased – a few months ago, this could never have happened.

Kankurou rolled his eyes and pushed the bowl over to Gaara. " Hurry up and eat it – it'll be soggy soon," he said as he stood up and stretched. Then he began making his way out of the room. Gaara looked at the bowl of cereal and then at his brother's retreating form before saying, "Kankurou?"

Kankurou paused in the doorway and turned back, "Yeah?"

Gaara hesitated for a minute, then said in the quiet tone that he always used when he was having difficulty with what he wanted to say, "…Thanks."

A surprised expression appeared on Kankurou's face, but it was almost instantly replaced by a grin. "Don't mention it," he called over his shoulder as he left the kitchen.

As he started up the stairs however, a different thought occurred to him, _'Maybe he's not such a brat after all.'_

**A/N: **Thanks so much for the favourites and reviews you guys - I was so shocked that people actually liked this so much! I hope you guys like this one as well too. This is probably the end, btw.


	3. Mistakes

**A/N: OK I'm warning you guys - this part is a bit more dramatic and angstier than the last two. I really hope it's not overdone.**

**Part 3: Dinner**

Gaara sat alone in the kitchen as the darkness around him became more profound. It occurred to him to go and turn on the lights but he didn't move. Why should he? After all he was the only one home and darkness didn't bother him - in fact, it was where he felt most comfortable.

He sighed. Temari and Kankurou were on a mission together and Gaara, strangely, found himself missing them. It puzzled him greatly - this want, no, this _need_ to be around them, to see them and interact with them, to just hear their voices even. It was strange and more than a little unsettling for Gaara who had learned to accept solitude, if only because he had no choice.

When he was younger, before he had begun to allow the demon to infiltrate his mind, he had craved anyone's presence, wanted anyone's recognition but he desired their's most of all, because they were _family_, the people who were supposed to care about him. Even afterward, when he began to lose his humanity, that desire still remained, feeble but unwavering.

He shook his head - loneliness, however, wasn't his most pressing dilemma. The truth was...he was hungry. Stomach rumbling, mind numbingly hungry to the point where he was starting to feel faint.

Normally Temari cooked breakfast, lunch AND dinner for Gaara and Kankurou but of course, she wasn't there. She had left food for him of course, knowing that she and Kankurou would be gone for a couple of days but Gaara had found his appetite unusually large recently and so, the food was gone, all gone. Mind you Kankurou and Temari _were_ due back that very day but not until much, much later and Gaara really didn't think he could wait that long.

Gaara sighed, wishing vehemently that he knew how to cook. Even Kankurou could whip something up when the occasion called for it (a.k.a. when Temari wasn't there) but Gaara couldn't - he had absolutely no skills in the kitchen.

Lightbulb! Gaara raised his head slowly, a look of realization crossing his face. Maybe that wasn't true - after all, it's not like he'd ever _tried_ to cook. He stood up, still staring straight ahead, his solemnity replaced by determination. He moved off and began turning on the lights in the kitchen.

* * *

Temari wove her way through the nearly deserted streets of her beloved village. She was alone - Kankurou had stayed behind, at the Kazekage's office, to write up the mission report. ("If I don't do it now, I'll never do it," he'd admitted as he bid her good - bye.) Temari smiled slightly, relieved to be home. Soon she could take a long shower and then collapse into bed and sleep for the next two days. 

She was on her street now, just a few more houses to - _'Wait! What is that?' _she thought, squinting at the foreign thing floating in the air. Suddenly she recognized that it was smoke, black, acrid smoke to be exact. She followed the trail with her eyes and realized with a jolt that it was coming from her house.

Temari's heart plummeted as she ran toward the smoking house. She pulled out her fan and sent a large gust of wind at it, immediately causing the smoke to dissipate. However more smoke soon replaced it. Temari frowned, puzzled - there was a lot of smoke but she couldn't see any flames. She reached the door and pulled out her key, trying and failing to stick it in the door. It went in on the third try and she took a deep breath before opening the door and plunging into the smoke - filled house.

"Gaara! Gaara, are you in here?!" she shouted frantically. There was no answer.

"Gaara!" she shouted again, turning around wildly, trying to find the source of the smoke. It was burning her eyes and her lungs were on fire and to make matters worse, the house was dark and she couldn't see anything. Then something orange caught her eye and she launched herself towards it.

She found herself in the kitchen where she realized with a shock that the entire stove was on fire and standing next to it was Gaara. He was staring at the orange flames as though mesmerized, clearly not perturbed by the thick smoke that the fire was emitting despite the fact that it was quickly coating his hair and cothes.

"Gaara!" Her voice seemed to rouse him from whatever spell the flames had put him under and he turned to her, his eyes still distant. "Temari?"

"Gaara, what are you doing?! We have to get out of here!" She shouted, running forward and starting to pull him back the way she'd come. He turned his eyes back to the blaze and frowned, as if seeing it for the first time, "But the kitchen..."

"Gaara, it doesn't matter. Come on!" she said, continuing to pull at him.

He pulled out of her grasp and started forward. She moved to pull him back but stopped when she saw the agitated way that his sand was moving. She watched as it surged forward and covered the burning stove. Several minutes later, it slid back to the floor, the fire reduced to a single flame which Gaara quickly blew out.

The fire was gone but the smoke still remained so Temari pulled out her fan and cleared the room, sending the smoke out of the open front door with a powerful gust of wind. When the smoke cleared, Temari and Gaara were left in the kitchen, both of them covered in ash, their hands and faces stained.

Temari breathed a sigh of relief and stepped over to Gaara, "Gaara, are you alright? You didn't get burned, did you?"

He looked at her and the concern she saw reflected in his own eyes spoke volumes, "I am fine. But you..." he trailed off, taking in her appearance.

Temari almost laughed at his unspoken question - she was sure he looked a lot worse than she did. "Don't worry - I'm fine." Then her eyes swept over the kitchen - most of it was, mercifully, unaffected, although the counters closest to the stove were partially burnt. "But Gaara, how did this happen?"

Gaara looked down as his guilt resurfaced, "I was hungry. So I tried to cook."

Temari blinked, "What happened to the food that I left for you?"

He shrugged, "I ate it."

"So, why didn't you go and buy something?"

Gaara blinked, "I...didn't think of that."

Temari half smiled as she slipped an arm around Gaara's shoulders, her own slumping, "Oh Gaara. You're something else, you know that?"

He looked at her and she thought she saw a hint of sadness in his eyes. She started back - tracking immediately, afraid that she had given him the wrong idea, "Don't take it the wrong way. I wasn't insulting you. I just mean that you - "

"Temari," he said, interrupting her. "That is not why I'm upset,' he said as he looked down, frowning slightly, " I just - caused you so much trouble. I...did not mean to."

Temari considered him carefully for a minute before surprising him by pulling him into a tight, if awkward, embrace, "It's okay. Everyone makes mistakes."

"But I make more, don't I?" He asked, his voice quiet.

Temari pulled away, just enough to be able to see him, "What?"

"I make more mistakes than everyone else. Right?"

Temari considered him for a few seconds, trying to figure out what she could say to reassure the little boy standing before her, her baby brother. She started speaking slowly but when she did, her voice was strong and all of her words completely honest and carefully chosen, "You know what Gaara? I don't think so. It's true that you've done a lot of bad things but you're not the only person in the world who has. And even if you have done more bad than some, that doesn't mean that you don't deserve to be forgiven."

Gaara stared at her for a little awhile before nodding. When he looked back at her, there was a ghost of a smile on his lips, "Thank you Temari."

She smiled and hugged him again, tighter this time. When they separated, she looked around the kitchen, thinking but not worrying about how much work it would take to clean it. She turned to Gaara, "Let's try to clean this up before Kankurou gets home, okay?"

**A/N:** Oh my lorsh! You reviewers are killing me! I can't believe people actually like this story so much. Thanks a lot minna!

Okay so I have decided that I'm going to make this into a set of arcs - each one will be 3 chapters long - one chapter for each sibling and they must have some connection to food. I'm also thinking about changing the title to suit - **Food** is the current title change. If you have any suggestions for the title or prompts for arcs, let me know. I can't promise I'll do it but I'll try. Thanks again.


	4. Caring

**Selfish**

**Arc 2 - Part 1**

**Lunch**

Kankurou's eyes followed his sister's lithe figure as she moved swiftly from the kitchen to the dining room, carrying plates on her first trip, cutlery on her second and the actual food on her third. When she reached the table, she left the things with Gaara who quickly sorted them out, arranging them in their correct places on the table.

On her second trip, she looked over at him. He was sitting cross-legged by the window, "You could help, you know."

He nodded nonchalantly, then shifted his position slightly, "I know."

On her return trip, she added, "Don't you see Gaara helping?"

His eyes flickered over to where his younger brother stood, waiting for Temari to return, then returned to his sister, "I noticed."

By then, she was standing by the table and Kankurou watched curiously, trying to figure out why she had stopped moving. Suddenly she rounded on him, a fierce, stubborn look in her eyes, "Fine. But if you don't help, you don't eat."

Kankurou scanned the counter and realized that there was nothing left. He felt a twinge of alarm but refused to let it show on his face, sure that she was bluffing, "There's nothing left to do."

She smirked and he realized too late that she had known that when she made her statement, "Guess you won't be eating today. You won't be eating this anyway," she said, jerking her head toward the table.

Kankurou glared at her but didn't dare provoke her by going to sit sown. She certainly didn't seem to be bluffing now, "So what do you propose I eat?"

She shrugged and turned back to the table, "I don't care. Come on Gaara - let's eat."

Gaara, who had (wisely) watched their interaction silently, spared Kankurou one more glance before sitting down to eat.

_'Brat wouldn't even stick up for me,' _Kankurou thought, frowning, _'But then again why should he?' _He wondered as he turned away. "I don't wanna eat your lousy cooking anyway," he said, just loud enough for Temari to hear as he went into the kitchen.

Temari gritted her teeth at his comment, then shrugged it off as she began doling out generous helpings for Gaara and herself, _'I don't care.' _Despite her words however, she couldn't help stealing little glances every now and then at the brunette in the kitchen who was currently in search of a substantial meal.

Kankurou immediately unearthed a box of cereal and now began searching for a bowl to pour it in. Temari frowned as she noticed his intended meal, '_That is so like him - choosing some rubbish like cereal to eat.' _Then she turned back to her plate and prepared to dig in, _'Serves him right. If he hadn't been so lazy, he'd be eating a proper meal right now.'_

Kankurou, meanwhile, was standing in front of the refrigerator, glaring at the contents inside. He was back to the same, old dilemma, it seemed. "Why is there never any milk in this house?!" He grumbled, slamming the fridge door shut.

He walked to the living room and grabbed his hood, jamming it haphazardly onto his head before heading to the front door. "I'll be right back!" he called as he passed the dining room.

Temari sighed as she heard what went on in the kitchen (Truth be told, she'd used the last of the milk last night.) _'Whatever - I don't care,'_ she repeated silently like a mantra. She said it as she rose from her chair, again as she walked out of the dining room and down the hall (after assuring Gaara that she'd be right back), once more as she opened the front door and even when she called the moron back, saying simply, "Sit down, shut up and eat. But next time, you will starve. You can be sure of that."

She watched as he slipped back inside and past her. By the time, she returned to the table, he'd already ladled large portions of food onto his plate and was almost a quarter way through it. Rolling her eyes and reminding herself once more that she didn't care, she returned to her seat, slapping Kankurou as she passed, "Slow down! And take off that stupid hat while we're at the table!"

Temari always tells herself she doesn't care but we all know better.

**A/N: I'm not too pleased with this - it may be edited. Anyway I hope you guys like it. I apologize for taking so long to update. Maki**


	5. Secrets

**Selfish**

**Arc 2 - Part 2**

**Midnight Snack**

Kankurou yawned and rolled over - right out of his bed and onto the very cold, very hard stone floor beneath it.

"Ow," he muttered, groaning as he got up slowly, rubbing his now aching back.

He climbed back into bed and slipped under the covers, making sure that he was in a central position; then waited for sleep to come to him. And waited...and waited...and waited.

Kankurou frowned and sat up, unable to understand why it was taking him so long to nod off when he had been sleeping soundly only a few moments ago; then he turned his head toward the clock on the nightstand. It read two minutes past three o'clock and he thought, _'If I'm not asleep in five minutes, I'll get up and train. If I'm up, I might as well do something productive.' _Then he lay back again and waited.

Five minutes later, Kankurou jumped out of bed and went over to the chair upon which he had laid out his clothes in preparation for the next day. He quickly stripped off the old shirt and pants that he was wearing and pulled on his usual ninja garb, then he picked up his puppets and slipped quietly out of the room.

He glanced at the closed door of Temari's room, then walked silently down the stairs. He moved past the kitchen and was almost to the front door when he stopped. Confused, he turned around, walked back to the kitchen and entered it, proving to himself that he hadn't imagined the scene that he'd glimpsed as he passed by.

Gaara was sitting on top of the kitchen counter in an old shirt that looked an awful lot like one of Kankurou's and an old pair of black pants, his fingers, which were covered in pistachio ice cream, frozen just in front of his slightly open mouth, (for once) a shocked expression on his face.

Kankurou took in this sight in a similar state of shock. "So you're the one who's been eating Temari's ice-cream," He said, shaking his head and grinning at the newfound knowledge which would finally convince her of his innocence.

Gaara narrowed his eyes and pulled the tub of ice cream closer to him before saying, "You saw nothing."

"Oh! But I did," Kankurou responded.

Gaara stuck his fingers in his mouth to lick off the remaining ice cream and then frowned, "No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. Why should I cover for you anyway? I'm the one Temari blames every time you eat her ice-cream."

Gaara frowned, "If you don't tell her, I'll..." He trailed off, trying to think of something he could offer Kankurou for his silence. "I won't kill you."

Kankurou blinked, wondering whether or not that was a good enough offer, _'After all, he hasn't threatened to kill me in months. But with Gaara, you never know.' _After a few seconds, he nodded, "All right, I guess that's good enough."

Some emotion flashed across Gaara's face - relief? - and then he nodded, "Good."

Kankurou moved over to a drawer and pulled out a spoon before extending his hand to Gaara, "Use a spoon. Temari's gotta eat that too, you know."

Gaara wordlessly took the spoon from him, then dug into the ice-cream. He watched as Kankurou turned to leave, then blurted out before he could stop himself, "I'll buy you all the hamburgers you want."

Kankurou stopped and turned back, his eyes widened slightly in fear, "But - but you already promised you wouldn't kill me. Did you change your mind?"

Gaara looked down at the ice-cream, unable to bear watching the fear he still inspired in his brother, then responded reluctantly, "I wouldn't have killed you anyway."

Kankurou's fearful expression transformed to one of astonishment at Gaara's words, then a gentle smile found its' way onto his face as he said, "Forget it - your secret's safe with me."

* * *

The next week when he went to the kitchen to grab a frozen bag of something to put on his eye where Temari had hit him, Kankurou consoled himself with the memory of Gaara's declaration in the kitchen.

**A/N: **Kankurou's favourite food is a hamburger. Thanks to everyone who reads, reviews, favourites and alerts this story.


	6. Appearances

**Selfish**

**Arc 2 - Part 3**

**Lunch**

**Dedicated to Nana - thanks for helping me with this idea. I hope you like it.**

Gaara was quite aware of the fact that he didn't resemble his siblings.

It rarely bothered him nowadays, although when he was younger, he didn't quite feel that way. To tell the truth, there were even some times when he was actually glad for it.

...times like these, for instance.

"Kankurou! Take off that stupid hood!" Temari shouted, drawing a ridiculous amount of attention to herself and the person she was shouting at.

"No! Let's just go somewhere else," he retorted stubbornly.

"I don't want to go somewhere else," Temari replied, "I want to eat here - it's supposed to be the best restaurant in the village."

"I seriously doubt that. I mean, what kind of place refuses people entrance just 'cause of a stupid hood?"

"Decent ones!" Temari shouted, reaching for the hood and trying to drag it off of Kankurou's head, "Now take it off!"

Kankurou wasn't having it though - he grabbed the ends of the hood and pulled down to prevent Temari from taking it off.

A little off to the side, Gaara stared at the two and the ridiculous tug-of-war that was now ensuing.

He was frowning slightly, annoyed not so much by their argument (which was nothing new between the two of them) but by all of the attention that was being directed towards them as a result of it. They were standing just outside of the aforementioned restaurant and all of the passers-by were watching the two Suna-nin curiously as they wrestled over the scrap of cloth covering Kankurou's head.

Had they been in Suna, this wouldn't have been a problem since the people there were fairly well acquainted with the quirks of the Kazekage's children but of course, they weren't in Suna now - they were in Fire country where the people, save the ninjas didn't know them at all.

Rolling his eyes, Gaara turned and started to walk back to their hotel. The argument between his darling brother and sister didn't seem about to stop anytime soon and that meant that it would only escalate and if that happened, well, he didn't really want to be there to witness it.

Gaara had just reached the end of the street when it happened. He didn't stop walking or even look around - the sudden pick up in the wind told him everything.

After a few minutes, he heard his brother's voice, carried by the same wind, "Real smart, Temari. How do you plan on going to the restaurant now that you _destroyed _it?"

"I'm gonna destroy _you_, idiot. This is all your fault!"

Gaara sighed as the wind picked up once again, thinking that perhaps it would be safer if he teleported back to the hotel. He caught a glimpse of his siblings just before the sand took him to his destination and as he imagined all the destruction that they were surely going to cause, he couldn't help but think that sometimes, it really was a good thing that he and his siblings don't look alike.

**A/N: So I've had this idea in my head since last year but I was having some trouble writing it. Thanks for all of the support for this fic - I'm really pleased that so many people like it.**


	7. Sharing

**Selfish**

**Arc 3 - Part 1**

**Snack**

Temari hurried through the streets of the village - she couldn't wait to get home and escape the heat - it was unbearable today. Temari subconsciously quickened her pace - traveling on the roofs would be faster but it would put her in direct sunlight - at least down here, she could get some shade.

As she ducked into the little patch of cover she could find, her eyes were drawn to the only people in the entire street - a man with a cart and a little girl. He was selling her a snow cone.

Temari's heart jumped at the sight - a snow cone was just what she needed to tide her over until she got home. She slipped out of the shade once again and hurried over to the cart.

"Hey o-jii-san. I'd like one please - biggest size you have."

The vendor looked up, surprise appearing on his face when he recognized her, "Of course, Temari-sama. I'll get it as soon as I finish this little one's," he replied, gesturing to the little girl.

Temari glanced at the child - looking at her, she wasn't quite so little, she'd put her at about eight. She was standing in the shade of the cart's umbrella, eyes glued to the plastic cup in the man's hand, watching intently as he scooped ice into it.

A shout from down the street broke her concentration, "O-nee-chan! O-nee-chan!"

The shouts were coming from the open doorway of a house down the street. Out of it, a little boy emerged, running over to the cart and his sister.

"O-nee-chan, buy me one too!" he said, tugging at his sister's dress.

The little girl shook him off, frowning, "I can't. I haven't got any more money."

The boy's face crumbled, "But o-nee-chan...I want one too," he wailed, the threat of tears in his voice.

The girl reached up and took the cup from the vendor, then turned to her brother, her expression suddenly stern, "Don't you dare cry, Mizuki - you're way too old for that. Here," she said, her face softening as she held the cup out to him, "you can have some of it. _Some_."

Smiling blissfully, the little boy took the cup from his sister, turned and started down the street.

Mizuki's sister rolled her eyes, then thanked the vendor and started after him, "I mean it, Mizuki, I didn't give that to you - I want it back," she shouted, picking up her pace as she noticed the snug grip that he had on the snow cone.

Temari couldn't help the smile that appeared on her face as she watched the entire exchange. A few years ago, that little girl was her.

_She and Kankurou, then seven and six, had been on their way home from training when she stopped to buy a snow cone. Then Kankurou started whining so __she bought him one too._

_After they received their treats, they started walking again but they hadn't gotten very far when the snow cone slipped out of Kankurou's hand and fell to the ground._

_They both stopped, staring at the fallen sweet. Kankurou frowned and turned to Temari, only to come face to face with her cup._

_"Just take it," she said, "I don't want any more anyway."_

_Kankurou eyed her, obviously sceptical - who could not want that sweet, gooey goodness? "Are you sure?"_

_She glanced at him, "Do you want it or not?"_

_Fearing that she would change her mind, he grabbed the cup from her hand and took a big bite out of it. "Thanks Temari," he said, his words coming out a little muffled because of the ice in his mouth._

_"Whatever," she responded but she was smiling as she started forward._

"Temari-sama!" Temari turned to the vendor, her eyes suddenly focusing on the large cup of ice in his hand. "Here's your snow cone. That will be two dollars."

Temari shook her head to clear it of the last vestiges of nostalgia, then said, "Actually, I changed my mind. Can I get two?"

**A/N: Saw a little girl bossing her bro around at the mall, got inspired. I really meant for this to be ice cream - lollies to be precise but everyone said, 'They don't have ice cream in the desert" so I changed it.**


	8. Padre

**Selfish**

**Arc 3 - Part 8**

**Starvation**

Little known fact - Kankurou is the most sensitive of the Sand Siblings.

Kankurou trudged through the streets of Suna, headed home from the Kazekage's office. He had just returned from a lengthy mission and he was exhausted, not to mention starved. He really wanted to quicken his pace so that he would get home sooner but he just didn't have the energy.

He hoisted his scrolls a little higher and continued on his way, glancing absently from side to side. As he passed close to a little, round house, he heard voices coming from above him. He walked on a bit, then turned back and looked upward, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glare of the sun.

A middle aged man and a little boy were standing on the flat roof of the house - Kankurou (rightly) assumed that they were father and son. The man had a kite in his hands and he was winding the string back onto the spool while simultaneously walking back to the boy. He looked down and handed the spool to the child, covering his son's smaller hands with his own to make sure that he kept a firm grip on it, all the while, talking to him and instructing him how to keep the kite in the air.

Kankurou felt something tighten in his chest as he watched the father and son and unable to bear it, he turned and started down the street at a much brisker pace. However he couldn't move fast enough to evade the memory that was threatening to overwhelm him - a memory that he'd thought long forgotten...

_Kankurou stood in front of the Kazekage's office door, trying to build up the courage to knock. In all his eight years of life, he had never once been to the Kazekage's office without a summons but today was going to be different. Today he didn't have a summons but he was going to go in anyway. Now if he could just stop his hands from shaking and knock on the darn door._

_He looked down at the small, purple kite in his hands. He thought it looked pretty good if he said so himself. He had made it in between training sessions in the hope that maybe, just maybe the Kazekage could take time out of his busy schedule to teach him how to fly it._

_He dropped the hand with the kite to his side and lifted his other hand to knock when a familiar voice called out to him, "Kankurou? What are you doing here?"_

_Kankurou turned and saw Temari walking toward him. He immediately hid the kite behind his back but she still managed to catch a glimpse of it. He shrugged, stood up straighter and puffed out his chest - even then, he'd been trying to act tough, "I came to see the Kazekage - "_

_He stopped when the door to the Kazekage's office suddenly swung open and the Kazekage himself appeared in his customary white and blue. The perpetual frown on his face deepened, "What are you two doing here?"_

_Kankurou gulped and all of his resolve drained away - he was suddenly glad that he'd already hidden the kite. He shook his head, "I, um, I - "_

_Temari, his saviour, jumped in. "Good day, Kazekage-sama," she said, bowing deeply (Kankurou followed suit), "We're very sorry to bother you - we know you're busy but we were hoping that maybe later when you're not so busy, you could, um," she faltered then for the request sounded foolish even to her own ears. _

_Kankurou suddenly brought forward his creation, "Kite," he muttered dumbly, eyes to the ground, afraid to see the scorn (or worse, anger) in the Kazekage's eyes._

_Several minutes of silence passed, then the Kazekage made a short, dismissive sound before brushing past his elder son and walking down the hall._

_Kankurou continued to stand there, in front of his father's open office door, not thinking, not thinking about anything, all the while feeling Temari's concerned gaze boring into the back of his head._

_Eventually he felt her link her arm with his and start to tug him gently down the hallway, back outside, away from the mean man who refused to play with his own children. She said nothing about what happened, just murmured quietly, "I'll fly it with you."_

_Kankurou placed one foot in front of the other and allowed his sister to pull him into the bright, bright sunlight, finally understanding why he and Temari always called the Kazekage 'Kazekage'._

When Kankurou finally emerged from the memory, he found that his feet had taken him further away from home rather than closer. It was just as well, he thought as he turned a corner and started down another street.

When he finally reached his destination, he dropped his scrolls to the floor, then dropped himself to the ground as well, seating himself directly across from the large hourglass shaped tombstone.

He sighed and leaned back against the wall, making himself comfortable. Then he looked at the tombstone and read the short inscription - there was only one word transcribed there - Kazekage. "Hey," he whispered, scuffing the ground with his shoe, "It's been a long time."

Little known fact - Kankurou is the most sensitive of the Sand Siblings.

**A/N: In case you were wondering about the food in this chapter, well it's food for thought and the theme is starvation. Yes, i know I'm grasping at straws but I really wanted to post this here. Besides, Easter is kite season. Yes, I know it's probably too windy in Suna for kites but whatever. Happy Easter!**


End file.
